The National Cooperative Financing Agency of Nigeria (CFAN) said it would deploy a cooperative inclusive strategy that would enhance financial inclusion in the country.
Mr Emmanuel Atama, the Executive Secretary of the association, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the strategy would be disclosed at a two-day “Abuja Cooperative Summit’’.
Atama said that the summit with the theme “Building the Capacity of Cooperatives to deliver on inclusive growth and Development’’ would hold between March 29 and March 30 in Abuja.
He explained that the cooperative inclusive strategy sought to provide services to all categories of cooperative members by providing them access to finance, healthcare, pension and housing under the Unified Cooperative Platform.
“Going forward, the strategy aims at re-packaging the works of the ordinary farmers, artisans, traders and other informal sector workers to enable them have job security and also find life meaningful.
“The strategy is also activating and providing global guarantees to cooperatives to enable them source for finance to enhance their activity through the National Co-operative Development Fund (NCDF).
“The Cooperative Inclusive Strategy is a follow-up or a domestication of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) financial inclusion drive.
“This year 2017 at CFAN is declared the Cooperative Action Year as we have built capacity in technology that will manage our daily operations while serving our members across Nigeria.’’
According to him, this technology, the Unified Cooperative Platform is tailored toward providing a cloud-based software developed and managed by CWG Plc.
Atama said that the software was also aimed at providing automated solutions to our operational needs such that reports could be generated at our beck and call.
“With that, the volume of savings, loans and investments could be ascertained and the contributions of cooperatives to National Development could be quantified and budgeted.
Atama, however, enjoined cooperators to key into this laudable programme for sustainable growth and development in their business endeavours.( NAN)
